1. Field of the Invention
The present application concerns natural products and more especially valuable materials that can be derived from the byproducts of vinification.
2. Description of Related Art
Currently there is a growing concern on the part of the public that our modern diet of highly processed and refined foods is xe2x80x9cmissing some essential componentsxe2x80x9d necessary for health and well-being. This xe2x80x9cnatural foodxe2x80x9d movement probably derives from at least two sources. First is the discovery of vitamins over the last three quarter""s of a century, and the public realization that consumption of apparently adequate food can actually result in a serious deficiency syndrome. It is not hard to imagine that the already discovered vitamins, which are now added back to our refined foods, are but the tip of the iceberg. That is, many other vitamin-like substances may remain to be discovered meaning that our food is presently dangerously deficient in essential nutrients.
Second is the realization that consumption of certain foodsxe2x80x94in particular animal fatsxe2x80x94seems to result in significant heart and vascular disease. Not only has the public come to learn that apparently complete foods are lacking a key ingredient, but the public has also learned that apparently innocuous and much favored foods are actually silent killers. The question in the public mind is xe2x80x9cwhy did fatty foods suddenly become so deadly?xe2x80x9d One answer is that fatty foods have always been harmful but that people didn""t used to consume so much of them. Another answer is that lack of physical activity exacerbates the damage caused by fatty foodxe2x80x94the American public certainly appears to have grown more sedentary as compared to Americans a century ago. However, the picture is convoluted by certain groups of people that appear to be immune to the dangers of fatty diets.
For example, some Europeans, particularly of Mediterranean origin, appear to consume diets high in fatty foods with little or no medical consequences. Some experts believe this appearance is actually an artifact of relative recent dietary changes that have not yet xe2x80x9ccaught upxe2x80x9d with Europeans. Under this scenario incidence of heart disease should soon increase sharply in those European areas. Other experts believe that xe2x80x9cgood fatxe2x80x9d (e.g., monounsaturated olive oil) neutralizes the other fat in the European diet. This has sparked an olive oil fad in the United States. While the result is undoubtedly widespread culinary improvement, there is as yet no evidence of positive medical consequences. Finally, there is the xe2x80x9cred wine connectionxe2x80x9d: many Europeans consume a considerable quantity of red wine, and some experts have opined that a constituent in red wine acts to neutralize the deleterious effects of a fatty diet.
Although some believe that the alcohol in wine is the source of its apparently beneficial properties, it does appear that red wine is more beneficial than white wine. Since both drinks have about the same level of alcohol, one naturally comes to suspect that the coloring component of the wine is the source of the beneficial properties. It is known that the polyphenolic pigments and tannins present in red wine (but largely missing from white wine) are powerful antioxidants. There is already something of an xe2x80x9cantioxidant fadxe2x80x9d going on in the field of dietary supplements where many people are consuming vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and various plant polyphenols in hopes of reducing oxidative damage and the presumed aging effects thereof. Thus, the antioxidant properties of red wine falls right into place with this trend although it has not been proven that antioxidant per se are the source of the beneficial properties of red wine.
Therefore, there is a considerable need for providing the apparent benefits of red wine without increasing the public""s consumption of alcohol and at a fairly modest expense.
The present invention involves the discovery that the lees or xe2x80x9cdregsxe2x80x9d produced during wine making are rich sources of antioxidants. Unexpectedly these materials also show significant antibacterial properties as well as antioxidant properties. The lees of red wine which consist of tannins and plant pigments precipitated around crystals of potassium tartarate can advantageously be used directly as a tonic or demulcent. The material can also be used topically. In addition, it is possible to use organic polymers to bind the pigments and/or solubilize them from the tartaric salt to facilitate their use or to make a relatively pure pigment/tannin component.